A school bus technician works on one of the school buses in the Gwinnett County (Ga.) Schools fleet, which once again came in first for our fleets in the 2023 School Bus Fleet survey.
That may well be the case, based on responses from participants in the 2023 School Bus Fleet Top District Fleets survey, which indicates that 62% of school districts are facing moderate to desperate levels vital personnel behind the wheel. That’s down 10% compared to 2022, and down 26% compared to 2021.
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Gwinnett County, a Georgia school district that came in first place among responding districts in the survey, reports that it is fully staffed with bus drivers.
“We continue to recruit, hire, and train drivers year-round to ensure we always have the drivers we need, planning proactively for the turnover that we know will occur at certain times during the year,” says Charley Humble, Gwinnett’s transportation director. “Our transportation team has a dedicated recruiting department, and they work tirelessly to find new and innovative ways to reach potential applicants.”
What else does the survey tell us this year? Consider:
Average starting pay across the country climbed to $21.84, up from $20.89 in 2022.
The average salary for transportation directors was $85,993.67 this year.
About a third of responding school districts indicated their transportation operations are unionized.
Service levels are expected to increase or remain the same in most districts.
Diesel buses appear to be purchased less often, while vehicles fueled by gasoline and alternatives increased.
Top 5 School Bus Fleets Based on Route Buses
RANK
DISTRICT
NO. OF ROUTE BUSES
1
Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Schools
1,636
2
Broward County (Fla.) Public Schools
980
3
Jefferson County (Ky.) Public Schools*
905
4
Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Schools*
875
5
Dekalb County (Ga.) Public Schools*
870
* Latest available data
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Top 5 School Bus Fleets Based on Ridership
RANK
DISTRICT
STUDENTS TRANSPORTED DAILY
1
Gwinnett County (Ga.) Public Schools
130,000
2
Charlotte-Mecklenburg County (N.C.) Schools
105,000
3
Cypress-Fairbanks (Texas) Independent School District
86,000
4
Hillsborough County (Fla.) Public Schools*
86,000
5
Broward County (Fla.) Public Schools
73,000
*Latest available data.
Top 25 School District Fleets
RANK
DISTRICT
TOTAL SCHOOL BUSES
TOTAL IN DAILY ROUTE OPERATION
CONTRACTOR BUSES
STUDENTS TRANSPORTED
ANNUAL ROUTE MILEAGE
1
Gwinnett County (Lawrenceville, GA)
2,006
1,636
0
130,000
24,300,000
2
Broward County Schools (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
1,468
980
0
73,000
16,250,321
3
Jefferson County (Louisville, KY)*
1,228
905
0
65,000
3,691,451
4
Dekalb County (Tucker, GA)*
1,150
870
0
67,000
12,234,054
5
Hillsborough County (Tampa, FL)*
1,108
875
0
86,000
16,500,000
6
Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Schools (Charlotte, NC)
1,061
836
0
105,000
22,000,000
7
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD (Cypress, TX)
1,028
661
0
86,000
10,000,000
8
Orange County Public Schools (Orlando, FL)
1,020
553
0
56,000
13,000,000
9
Polk County Public Schools (Bartow, FL)*
645
525
0
50,000
9,400,000
10
Greenville County (Taylors, SC)*
550
400
0
27,500
7,200,000
11
Cherokee County (Canton, GA)
483
372
0
24,361
4,900,000
12
Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge, LA)
440
400
0
43,000
1,921,500
13
Albequerque Public Schools (Albequerque, NM)
395
302
0
30,707
4,217,211
14
Garland ISD (Garland, TX)
393
299
0
17,000
4,400,000
15
St. Lucie Public Schools (Port St. Lucie, FL)
389
296
0
21,000
6,500,000
16
School District U-46 (Elgin, IL)*
350
300
0
25,000
4,500,000
17
Lake District Schools (Tavares, Fla.)*
325
240
0
18,079
5,100,000
18
Norfolk Public Schools (Norfolk, VA)*
323
149
0
7,960
1,409,497
19
Carroll County (Westminster, MD)*
311
256
0
19,000
5,300,000
20
Beaverton School District (Beaverton, OR)
305
207
0
23,793
2,382,384
21
Bossier Parish (Bossier City, LA)*
305
227
0
13,500
2,700,000
22
Plano ISD (Plano, TX)*
300
260
0
15,000
3,700,000
23
Mansfield ISD (Mansfield, TX)*
298
197
0
15,000
2,500,000
24
Evergreen Public Schools #114 (Vancouver, WA)*
292
245
0
11,500
2,750,000
25
Salem-Keizer (Salem, OR)
290
225
0
9,188
3,253,899
* Latest available data.
Average No. of Buses Per District
292
Average % of Buses Per District Used in Daily Route Operation
76%
Average % of Buses Per District Operated by Contractors
7%
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Average Student Passengers Per District
8,611
Total Annual Route Miles Driven by Responding Districts
135,249,306
Average Annual Route Miles Driven by Responding Districts
1,610,111
Average No. of Bus Drivers Per Responding District
97
Average Starting Hourly Pay for School Bus Drivers
$21.84
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Get the full report in print and digital editions of November's School Bus Fleet magazine!
Stop bidding everything and try a simpler way. Here's how cooperative purchasing can streamline purchases while maintaining compliance. Sourcewell breaks down the process in this episode of The Route, sponsored by IC Bus.
The alternative transportation company expands its services to traditional yellow buses with the launch of a new division focused on helping school districts optimize their routes.
Roberts, 35, serves as the lead IT application engineer for vehicle electrification at First Student, where he helps shape scalable, real-world EV infrastructure to support student transportation.
Swazer, 29, serves as director of transportation at Puyallup School District, where he champions student wellbeing and inspires the next generation of industry leaders.
Dubas, 38, serves as sales manager and safety advocate at IMMI, where she advances school bus occupant protection through industry education, OEM collaboration, and proactive safety policy efforts.
Moore, 32, grew up around the school bus, leading him to the classroom and eventually inspiring high-performing teams while bringing operations in house (twice).
Baran, 38, serves as transportation supervisor at Odyssey Charter School in Delaware, where he leads daily operations with a focus on safety and professional growth.
Maybee, 36, leads transportation operations for Denver Public Schools, where he is advancing equity, efficiency, and cross-department collaboration to improve student access.
Higgins, 38, serves as director of industry engagement at TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking), where she equips school transportation professionals with the tools to recognize and report human trafficking.
